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Meal Plan 7/29 to 8/4

This week all our meals were chosen from Cookin’ on the Compound Volume 3 by The Appalachian Homestead. Even if you don’t have this cookbook, you can get great ideas from the meals I’ve put together. But you can also grab your cookbooks HERE. They are available in print or digital form – I am not an affiliate, I just purchased these on my own and decided to showcase them. 

Monday:

  • Veggie Bake with Feta
  • French bread
  • Cantaloupe
  • *** We aim for Meatless Monday but sometimes we miss. We do, however, try for 2-3 meatless meals each week.

Tuesday:

  • Chicken Tetrazzini
  • Steamed California veggies

Wednesday:

  • Grilled Cube Steak with Compound Steak Seasoning
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Peas

Thursday:

  • Chicken Stuffed Shells
  • Salad
  • Corn
  • **This recipe is for manicotti but I had jumbo shells, so that’s what I used.

Friday:

  • Pasta Salad with Chicken
  • Crackers and Cheese
  • Cantaloupe

Saturday:

  • Sloppy Man Sandwiches on homemade buns (Bread Beckers recipe)
  • Chips
  • Grapes

Sunday:

  • Leftovers
  • *** Most of the time it’s my goal to make sure we have leftovers on Sunday night. That makes the day so much easier. It doesn’t always work out that way, but that’s always the goal.  

Week of 7/22 to 7/28

This week I made all of our dinners on our Blackstone! We have the 4 burner griddle, base model. I didn’t want any extra bells or whistles. Just the larger cook surface. We purchased ours from Walmart, but you can get them lots of different places. 

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Meal Plan 7/15 to 7/21

This week I cooked our dinner meals from the cookbook, Cookin’ On the Compound (https://appalachianhomestead.org/products/cookin-on-the-compound-volume-2/) Volume 2. I wanted to feature the cookbook on Instagram, and you’ll find the meals and pictures below. I am not affiliated and I’m also not sponsored – just wanted to share my friend’s cookbook. 

Monday:

  • Crock Pot Venison
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Steamed California veggies
  • *** I am currently out of venison so I used cubed beef and it turned out fabulous! My husband and kids loved the “mushroom gravy” that this one made.

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

** These were so yummy!!! I cooked two full sheet pans full and added crumbled feta to one. 

Thursday:

  • Poor Man’s Potatoes
  • Green Beans
  • ** Another win! This is a great crock pot meal!!!! 

Friday:

  • French Toast Casserole
  • Chicken breakfast sausage
  • Fruit
  • *** Instead of using raisins or apples in this one, I used cinnamon raisin bread from Aldi. Great leftover too!

Saturday:

  • Dill Chicken Penne
  • Broccoli
  • ** I was home later than anticipated – so for this one we didn’t do the baking step and I just stirred the cheese right in. SO GOOD!!!!

Sunday:

  • Leftovers!
  • ** We had a little bit of this and that in the fridge so we just cleaned it out to prep for the upcoming week. It’s my favorite Sunday night meal.

I’ll be cooking from Volume 3 in another week!

Meal plan 7/8 to 7/14 (My Instagram friends on Stories)

Monday:

Tuesday:

  • Teriyaki Beef with broccoli, summer squash and zucchini (https://www.instagram.com/p/C4PKXo-rqHC/)
  • Rice
  • *** This isn’t really a recipe, but a method. I watched her make it and then did it myself. I used the teriyaki sauce from Aldi and sprinkled with sesame seeds.

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

Meal plan 7/1 to 7/7

This week I cooked all of our dinners from the cookbook Cooking on the Compound Volume 1  by Appalachian Homestead. You can find her website here: https://appalachianhomestead.org/

She has become a dear friend of mine – so I purchased all 3 of her cookbooks to support her. <3 Her cookbooks come in print or digitally. I am not an affiliate. I just share our life here with you. 

If you like home-cooking, then I think you’ll enjoy her books. I’ll be featuring the other two cookbooks in upcoming weeks.

Monday:

  • Soup Beans and cornbread.
  • ** This is a true country meal. I don’t normally add ham to my beans, but I had some salt pork from a neighbor. I browned it and threw it in to cook with the beans.
  • This is a fantastic and filling meal. Yes, my kids eat it. I like my beans with pico de gallo on top – or with chowchow if I have some.

Tuesday:

  • Granny’s Biscuits
  • Sausage
  • Eggs
  • Fruit
  • **Southern cooking tip. Use White Lily flour. Yes, I grind my own wheat. But there are a few things I only use White Lily for. Biscuits, pie crust, and gravy. Amen.

Wednesday:

  • Make-Do Casserole
  • Steamed Broccoli
    • I had quite a few people baffled with this one. “I can’t get behind this recipe. It looks weird.” But for us, it’s the HISTORY behind this meal.
    • The reason it’s called Make-Do Casserole is because this recipe originates from the Virginia coal fields – where they literally had nothing. They were a scrappy lot and MADE DO with what they had. We really could learn a lot from them – the OG recipe used venison. 
    • My kids really enjoyed this one, despite how it looks “weird.” Eli said: mom, this is really good! Please make it again! And my picky child happily ate the meat and potatoes. 

Thursday:

  • Pork Sliders (I used beef)
  • Corn
  • Baked Beans
  • **The chipotle sauce made the meal here. Do not skip it. My buns are homemade from the Basic Dough Recipe from The Bread Beckers.

Friday:

  • We had a date at Huey Magoos with my 8 year old daughter. See chicken – first time eating here and it was FANTASTIC!!!!
  • I left bagel bites at home with my kids and babysitter.

Saturday:

  • Potato Pitas
  • Steamed veggies
  • **I butchered this family recipe because I didn’t even make the pita or buy Greek style pita – I just got pocket pita at Aldi. HA!!!
  • BUT BUT BUT they turned out fantastic! This is such af refreshing summer meal. If you want to keep the house cooler, use an air fryer and cook outside. I could easily eat this meal on a weekly basis. Don’t skip the feta. 

Sunday:

  • Clean out the fridge! I had a dab left of just about everything, so we just all warmed up and ate it happily. My teen ate at youth group.

Meal Plan 6/24-24 to 6/30/24

This week I prepared all our dinners from recipes I found on Instagram. It was fun to actually use the recipes I keep saving in a folder. HA!!!!

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

  • I forgot my daughter wanted to go to dinner at the Chinese restaurant for her birthday. We had a lovely celebration and enjoyed a break from the kitchen!
  • Note: I made this “dinner” on Thursday for lunch.

Thursday lunch:

  • Cottage Cheese Alfredo (https://www.instagram.com/p/C5takN8uoIc/)
  • Peas
  • From the maker @the.balanced.nutritionist
  • Review: This was lovely – I will definitely make again. However, I used reduced fat cottage cheese (that was what Aldi had this week) and I think it would be creamier if I used regular. This would be FANTASTIC with some blackened chicken

Thursday dinner:

  • Oven Baked Chicken Tacos (https://www.instagram.com/p/C58UFBQh05s/)
  • Chips + Salsa
  • Broccoli
  • From the maker @angiebgrubbs
  • Review: I really liked this method of baking them all at one time in the oven! I loved it – my kids, not so much. The shells don’t stay crispy as well when you use juicy chicken. But I had no issues eating all the leftovers. 😉 

Friday:

  • Chicken Cheesesteaks on the griddle
  • Chips
  • Fruit
  • From the maker @blackstonebetty
  • Review: This was my kids FAVORITE meal of the week! They raved over it and begged me to make sure I make it again!!! Betty never lets me down. Super easy and super flavorful. Big big big win.

Saturday:

  • Crispy Chicken Caesar Wraps
  • Steamed mixed veggies
  • From the maker @jessicas_kitchens
  • Review: This was MY win of the week. It is probably one of the best things I feel like I’ve made in a long time. It was so light and refreshing. Easy to make in the air fryer!!!! Even my picky eater devoured hers. Definitely try this one! 

Sunday:

  • Cobb Salad Power Bowl 
  • From the maker @makayla_thomas_fit
  • Review: We loved this one too! I used popcorn chicken from Aldi. Everyone else ate theirs hot and I had mine cold – definite win. Loved the thinned ranch with pickle juice!!!!! So so tasty! Next time I think I’ll use whole wheat pasta instead of the protein pasta.

Meal Plan week of 6/17/24 to 6/23/24

Monday:

  • Veggie Burgers (Aldi)
  • Roasted potatoes
  • Carrots + ranch

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

  • Pizza Sliders
  • Carrots + Ranch
  • Apples
  • ** There is no recipe for this. Just make rolls or use rolls from the store. Slice in half. Add pizza sauce, cheese, and toppings of choice. Replace tops of rolls. Brush with butter. Sprinkle with parmesan from the can. Bake at 350 till the cheese melts.
  • **Meal on the go

Saturday:

  • Frozen pizza
  • ** Gone for baseball. Hot and tired family = easy meal.

Sunday:

Meal Plan week of 6/10/24 to 6/16/24

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

  • Ramen with veggies (https://thecheekychickpea.com/easy-vegan-ramen/)
  • *** If you’re concerned about protein, you can cook your ramen in bone broth and drink it. I do that occasionally but we actually prefer to just use edamame and cashews and just know this is a lower protein meal for us. We make up for it later on.

Meal Plan week of 6/3/24 to 6/9/24

Monday:

  • BBQ Beef Sandwiches
  • Chips
  • Applesauce 
  • ** No recipe. Crock  a roast with desired seasonings 8-10 hours until it shreds easily. Shred. Stir in your favorite BBQ sauce.
  • –> This was a meal on the go.

Tuesday:

  • Burgers at the ball field for the end of year celebration! Players and coaches ate free. <3 <3 

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

  • Burrito Bowls
  • ** No recipe. Anything you’d put on a burrito, serve in a bowl over rice.
  • –> This was a meal on the go.

Saturday:

  • Smash Burgers on the Blackstone
  • Tots
  • Apple slices
  • ** Yes, burgers twice this week 

Sunday: 

  • Clean out the fridge AKA: Leftovers

Meal Plan week of 5/20/24 to 5/26/24

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

Friday:

  • Mashed Potato Bowls (https://www.budgetbytes.com/loaded-mashed-potato-bowls/)
  • ** This was a meal on the go.
  • ** I don’t really use a recipe for this – I just linked it because people ask. I mostly use this meal as a way to clean out the fridge and sock BBQ sauce on top. 😉

Saturday:

  • Leftovers/snacks! 
  • ** We had a family event at 2pm, so most of us weren’t hungry for dinner. We cleaned out some things and ate snacks.

Sunday:

Meal Plan week of 5/13/24 to 5/19/24

Monday:

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

Thursday:

  • Pork Loin (Smithfield that a neighbor gave us when she moved)
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Peas

Friday:

  • BBQ Beef Tips (recipe from Great Food Fast by Bob Warden)
  • Rice
  • Cheesy Veggies
  • *** My kids made the rice and veggies + sauce from their Kids Cook Solo class!

Saturday:

  • Ravioli (Aldi frozen)
  • Tomato Basil Sauce (Aldi)
  • Salad
  • Green Beans

Sunday:

Meal Plan week of 5/6/24 to 5/12/24

Monday:

  • Waffles with scrambled eggs and fried apples
  • **Fried apples are seasonal at Aldi. They usually come out in August/Sept and last at my local store until around January. I stock up.

Tuesday:

Wednesday:

  • Burgers on the griddle
  • Homemade buns (same bread recipe)
  • Baked fries
  • Fresh pineapple

Thursday:

  • Tomato Soup
  • Bread (yup. same recipe)
  • Apples (yes, again)
  • ** This was Pacific brand soup I found at Ollie’s SO GOOD.

Friday:

  • Husband not home! 
  • Dino Nuggets
  • Salad

Saturday:

Sunday:

  • Lentil Soup
  • Crackers
  • Pineapple 
  • **This was a clearance find at Kroger. VERY good!!!

Meal Plan week of 4/29/24 to 5/5/24

Monday:

Tuesday:

  • Chicken Tacos with chips & salsa
  • *** The recipe for this is simple. Around 2lb chicken thighs in the crock pot. Sprinkle with one pack of taco seasoning or use 2 tablespoons homemade (https://humoroushomemaking.com/freecontent/taco-seasoning.pdf). Dump one 16oz jar salsa on top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours and then shred. Use as a taco filling.

Wednesday:

  • Lazy Lasagna (https://www.instagram.com/p/C4srh5CsnL0/)
  • Mixed Veggies 
  • ** I used a whole 12oz box of the chickpea pasta at Aldi and an entire jar. Who is measuring that stuff out anyway? LOL  I didn’t have zucchini so I used some chopped peppers.

Thursday:

  • Pizza Bowls 
  • Salad 
  • ** Cooked noodles in the bottom. Marinara mixed with cooked ground beef. Layer in a bowl with other pizza toppings of choice and top with mozzarella cheese.

Friday:

Saturday:

Sunday:

  • Pizza Party at church. 

Meal Plan week of 4/22/24 to 4/28/24

Monday:

buffalo flatbread

Tuesday:

Teriyaki Rice Bowl

Wednesday:

pizza sliders on homemade rolls
  • Pizza Sliders
  • Salad
  • ** You can use Hawaiian rolls for this but I used my normal Bread Becker’s Basic Dough (https://www.breadbeckers.com/blog/basic-dough-recipe/), sliced in half, topped with pizza toppings, replace top, brush with butter, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and bake until the cheese melts.
  • ** This was also a meal on the go for us.

Thursday:

black bean avocado quesadillas

Friday:

  • Take-and-Bake pizza from Aldi
  • Green beans

Saturday:

pancakes and bacon

Sunday:

baked potato nachos
  • Baked Potato Nachos
  • ** These are made just like you’d make nachos, but use a base of cubed baked potatoes. I chop mine, spread on a parchment lined baking sheet, sprinkle with salt, bake at 425 until golden. Add nacho toppings.

Meal Plan week of 4/15/24 to 4/21/24

Monday:

burrito bowls
  • Burrito Bowls on the go
  • ***Note: I don’t really have a recipe for this. It’s a great way to clean out the fridge. Serve it all over rice, add some salsa, cheese and sour cream. If you’d put it in a burrito, it can go in this bowl.

Tuesday:

Mongolian Beef Noodles

Wednesday:

Veggie Burgers
  • Veggie Burgers (Aldi) 
  • Green beans
  • Baked fries

Thursday:

Vegan Southwest Mac

Friday:

Egg Salad

Saturday:

Lo Mein

Sunday:

Cottage Cheese Alfredo